Bringing Alice back to life...

An old Win2K machine whose name was Alice has been elected to be the "in-house" computer for stuff that doesn't have to go out the door with me, like backups of accounting files. Part of the decision had to do with the fact that the machine is loaded with a driver to label printer that was a leftover from the store, which I would like to use from time to time to print USPS labels.

To do so, however, requires Acrobat Reader, and when I went to the Adobe site, I duly selected the version of Reader that they offered for Windows 2000 with SP1 installed. Upon launching the installer, it proceeded to eat up minutes "recomposing" itself before getting around to installing the application, whereupon I was informed that my version of Windows (with SP1) was not supported and that I should go upgrade my operating system.

I am not amused.

Cheers...

Progress, sort of...

Well, I "upgraded" my Windows 2000 installation to SP3 which allowed Acrobat to install, but then it turns out the USPS only has one label format and expects everyone to use it. I'm sure there's probably something I could do to shoehorn the Priority Mail label onto a 4" x 6" label, but it sounds like work to me.

On the other tentacle, I can still use the machine for grunt work, like converting cassette tapes to mp3s.

I really did a masterful job of procrastination today, and didn't start on the only job on my plate until nearly 6 pm. Since then, I've eaten dinner and translated 1,000 words. If I can manage another 2,000 (which is probably a bit optimistic) I'll be in good shape for tomorrow.

But to attain anything even near that goal, I'll have to turn to, and now!

Cheers...

Turning it into English...

And "it" resists mightily. The frog:

Отдел инспекций оборудования на заводах-изготовителях и ускорения поставок

So far, I've got

Department for Inspection of Equipment at Manufacturing Plants and Acceleration of Deliveries

Man, try putting that on your business card!

Truly, could I but eat this, there would likely be nothing more horrid to eat all day.

That'll teach me to start work so late!

Cheers...

UPDATE: One of the reasons I mightily dislike partial submissions on large assignments is my habit of letting things bob up and down in my mind, like bones in a simmering stew, as I work on a job. Late yesterday (Tuesday) something in the translation made me wonder about the term "accelerated delivery." Searching on Google suffered from too much contemporary marketing interference, especially in the IT field.

And then it hit me: what was being called "acceleration" might actually be what I once spent three summers doing at an engineering company: expediting! The word fit like a glove, and doesn't really need the word "delivery" hanging around in the neighborhood.